Eating to Ease Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by pain, exhaustion, and sensitive areas distributed throughout the body. Statistics from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) show that 5 million adults, primarily women, suffer from the disorder. Detecting it is not easy since it shares symptoms with many other health maladies, so it often goes undiagnosed.

Treating it is also a complex proposition, so anyone who believes they may be suffering from fibromyalgia should connect with a practice that has a strong track record caring for patients with the condition.

Turning from pain medication to food

When we are in pain, it is a natural response to want to relieve it any way that we possibly can. That’s why standardized fibromyalgia pain solutions such as pharmaceutical medication and over-the-counter NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen sodium) have always been so popular. However, the side-effects of long-term painkiller use have been well-documented, so many doctors and patients have turned from pain medication to natural solutions such as diet and exercise.

While there is no medically accepted fibromyalgia diet, “some people do claim that they feel better when they eat—or avoid—certain types of foods,” advised San Francisco family medicine doctor George Krucik, MD. “You may need to keep a food diary to find out which foods seem to trigger or improve your symptoms.”

3 elements to consider

Here are three aspects that you may want to implement as part of your DIY fibromyalgia treatments:

Dietary balance – You want balance in your diet, especially being careful to get enough fresh produce. Along with fruits and vegetables, get low-fat protein sources such as fish (ideally wild-caught) and chicken. You want any breads and grains to be whole rather than “refined” or “enriched.” Reduce sodium and sugars (the latter listed under “total carbohydrates” on a typical US food label) as well.

Weight loss – A study from Clinical Rheumatology revealed that fibromyalgia pain dropped significantly when obese individuals successfully lost weight. The research participants also had fewer sleep interruptions.

Energy – Since fatigue is a major symptom of fibromyalgia, you want to be careful to get the right kind of energy in your diet. “Avoid sweets, which will only give you a quick sugar boost,” said Dr. Krucik. “Instead, eat foods such as almonds, broccoli, beans, tofu, oatmeal, and whole-grain bread.”

Expertise with fibromyalgia treatments

Diet is just one way to treat fibromyalgia responsibly, avoiding the use of surgery or lifelong pharmacological intervention. Pain Stop can stop your pain today with a combination of medical disciplines as part of a unique, comprehensive treatment program.